Rams rookie CB Trumaine Johnson in market for alarm clock

Maybe one day Trumaine Johnson will learn a little about former St. Louis Rams cornerback Jacoby Shepherd, who had a short-lived career with the franchise after he did things like miss the team bus to the airport for a preseason game.

Shepherd was a second-round draft pick in 2000 and the cornerback’s stay in St. Louis was a brief one. Then Rams coach Mike Martz made Shepherd buy a ticket on a domestic flight to the preseason game and then made the rookie didn't play in the game. These are the types of rookie mistakes that sound amusing but can get careers derailed in a hurry.

We're not suggesting this is happeing with Johnson, who is also a cornerback. But he didn’t make it to training camp on Wednesday for the first day practice because he didn’t hear his alarm clock and overslept, missing a flight to get him from Stockton, Calif., to St. Louis. Of course, that reminds us of the time in 1998 that tight end Alonzo Mayes was late to training camp with the Chicago Bears in Platteville, Wis. The tight end missed three flights in one day and explained, “Sometimes it just ain’t yo’ day.”

Johnson, a third-round draft pick from Montana, was on the field Thursday and in the mix. He’s got a good chance to compete for playing time this season. Now, he’s in place to do that. Hopefully, he'll hear the alarm clock moving forward.

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